Is there something you’ve always wanted to do, you even feel this strong pull towards it, but you keep resisting because you’re afraid you won’t be any good at it? You don’t have any confidence in yourself when it comes to this particular area, so instead of trying, you just don’t?

This is how I felt about drawing. The desire to draw cartoons and doodle was something that kept nagging at me. It was always right there in the back of my mind. But I kept shooing it away like an annoying fly. I turned my back on this strong desire to draw and doodle, even though I wanted nothing more than to sit down at a sketchbook and create.

When I was a kid, I used to doodle all the time. Almost to the point to where it was a problem. I would draw little characters that I made up on my homework assignments or on the church prayer request sheet. Whenever I was bored, if I had some kind of drawing tool and something to draw on, I would doodle. I just loved creating my funny characters that were usually food come to life. My favorite was Super Fry Guy, a French fry superhero with a cape and everything.

I always knew I wasn’t an “artist” in the traditional way most people define it. My simple doodles weren’t impressing anyone. No one was telling me how talented I was. In fact, they were telling my sister how talented she was.

My older sister could draw and paint images that looked like a real photo when we were kids. She was also great at simpler cartoon drawings and fashion sketches. She seemed naturally talented.

I loved my sister’s creations, but if I’m honest a part of me was jealous. If you’re a younger sister, you can probably relate to this. I consistently compared myself and my abilities to my big sister. I didn’t believe I was as talented as her or naturally talented at all when it came to drawing. Constantly comparing yourself to others is the fastest way to killing your confidence. So, after a while I just put my pencil down.

Read More: 11 Easy Creative Hobbies Women can Start Today to Boost Their Confidence

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My drawings would never help me in life and no one else enjoyed them but me (I wish I could tell my younger self you doing something for enjoyment is plenty reason enough), so what was the point, right? Wrong.

For years, I felt a tug on my heart to start doodling again, but I ignored it. I needed to work, take care of my dog, and just figure out life. Whenever the thought would creep in that maybe I should sketch, I would shake my head no at it and say, “I’m too busy and I can’t draw anyways.”

(What does that even mean? I can’t draw? Anyone can draw. You just put lines and shapes on a piece of paper.)

One day while scrolling Instagram, an ad for a 3-day kawaii drawing workshop hosted by Tatyana Deniz popped up. Intrigued since I didn’t know anything about kawaii, I clicked on the ad. Which led me to not only signing up for the workshop but also downloading her 21-day kawaii drawing workbook. I was hooked.

Day 1: My Rough Draft Sketch of My Kawaii Kitten Cone

Read More: 11 Fascinating and Real Ways Creative Hobbies Increase Women’s Self-Confidence

The kawaii style of art seemed simplistic enough that I could do it and I started to believe in myself again. After a few days of using the workbook, my confidence started to grow. Soon I was designing my own little characters again and purchasing more books and courses on kawaii drawing and on more advanced illustrating techniques.

(I love these illustrating classes on Udemy! And soon I’ll be taking an animation class on Udemy!)

I was also listening to the audiobook Atomic Habits by James Clear at the same time I started kawaii drawing. In the book he talks about Laszlo Polgar, an educational psychologist who didn’t believe in natural talent. He believed any child could become a genius prodigy with intensive training. All three of his daughters went on to become some of the top chess players in the world.

Thinking about Laszlo Polgar and also Tatyana Deniz, who didn’t start drawing until she was 29 and now teaches others to draw kawaii, I started to realize maybe Babe Ruth was right.

Day 2: My Outline Drawing of My Kawaii Kitten Cone

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It started to make sense to me. I might not have been born with natural talent, but that didn’t mean I would never be able to draw cartoons. I wasn’t doomed to never understand perspective and shading and only drawing flat characters and scenes.

I could learn. I could be resourceful. I could put in time and energy and focus. I could become more competent in this area. I could slowly get better at drawing.

So, this is what I’m doing.

By facing this fear and challenging myself to put in the time and effort to get better at drawing, my overall confidence started to grow.

If I can figure out drawing, something I always feared I’d never be able to do, then what else can’t I do? I feel empowered, like there’s nothing I can’t figure out. I feel confident in my ability now to find the information I need and to execute it to overcome any obstacle and challenge.

And it all started with a simple 3-day kawaii drawing workshop.

It might be slow going. I’m not instantly a better artist just because I decided to start pursuing this interest. But I am getting better. Seeing my progress every day encourages me to keep going and my confidence keeps growing. And most importantly I’m having fun! I love drawing and my inner child is ecstatic that I’ve picked this hobby back up again. I deprived myself of this enjoyment for far too long just because I lacked confidence. But now because I’ve picked it back up my confidence is soaring.

Now I’ll ask you again, is there something you’ve always wanted to do, you even feel this strong pull towards it, but you keep resisting because you’re afraid you won’t be any good at it?

Ask yourself what steps you can take today to become more competent in this area. Ask yourself what information or experiences you need to start gaining more confidence in this beautiful dream of yours. Ask yourself what habit you can start today to get closer to being fully confident

*If you’re looking for affordable classes to become more confident in your particular area of interest, check out Udemy! They have classes on everything from photography to web design to accounting.*

Day 3: My Final Drawing of My Kawaii Kitten Cone! I absolutely love her!

Maybe, like me, you decide to dedicate time every night to draw a kawaii character to get better at drawing. Or maybe you want to write a novel one day, so today you sign up for a short story writing class. Perhaps you want to own your own sticker business so today you download an eBook on starting a sticker business and commit to reading one chapter a day.

Whatever it is you want to do, you can do it. Natural talent doesn’t matter when you work hard and put in the time and effort which anyone can do. I can do it. You can do it. The more you work at something and see your small progress, the more you will build your confidence.

Let me know what steps you’re taking today to start becoming more confident in an area you’ve always held self-doubt around. I’d love to hear from you and know how your progress is going 

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